Skin, hide, and leather working machine.



'F. WAYLAND. SKIN, HIDE, AND LEATHER WORKI NG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1912.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l- F. WAYLAND. SKIN, HIDE, AND LEATHER WORKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYLE 1912.

14.1mm. um. 11 L.

m1 mmms Pun F. WAYLAND. SKlN, HIDE, AND LEATHER WORKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1912.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 F. WAYLAND.

SKIN, HIDE, AND LEATHER WORKING MACHINE. APPLICATiON FILED MAY 18, 1912. 1,214,852, Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

4 SHEETS--SHEET 4- .II III- II I FRANCIS WAYLAND, or sALnr/i, ivrassaori'us'nr'rs.

SKIN, HIDE, Ann LEATHER WORKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

Application filed May 18. 1912. Serial No. 698,094.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F RANCIS VVAYLAND, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Skin, Hide, and Leather W'orking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machine for stretching, staking, glazing and otherwise treating skins, hides and leather. The invention resides principally in the stretching belts, in the structural features thereof, and in the combination thereof with other elements of the machine, all as hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate certain embodiments of the -inven tion,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a leather workin or treatin machine embod in one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the upper part of Fig. 1, showing the relation between the rolls and one of the stretching belts, hereinafter described.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation, showing one arrangement of working projections for the working roll;

Fig. s is a side elevation of the stretching belts of Fig. 1, the work roll shown in broken lines;

Fig. 5 is a side view of a part of a leather treating machine embodying a modified form of the invention; i

Fig. 6 illustrates in plan view the ar-.

rangement of the stretching belts of Fig. 5

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of the adjacent ends of two of said belts shown in Figs. 5 and 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary face View of one of the stretching jaws shown in Fig.5;

F ig. 9 is a fragmentary face View of the other of said stretching jaws;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation'of a loathe treating machine embodying still another modification of the invention;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary View in elevation showing a part of one of the stretching belts of Fig. 10; and

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of apart of a machine similar to that of Fig. 10, also indicatin laterally moving stretching and tension belts similar to those of Fig. 5 to act upon the material before it passes to the vertically moving belts.

The frame of the machine on which all the parts are mounted is shown at 1. All either side of the frame 1 are the swinging arms 2, journaled to the frame at 3. The rolls a and 5 are pinch rolls or feed rolls which rotate in the direction of the arrows and draw the material M through the machine. The roll 4: is journaled on the frame 1 and the roll 5 is journaled on blocks 6, one at each side of the machine which slide in slideways on the arms 2, and are normally pressed in the direction of roll 1 by springs 7, to maintain a yielding pressure or pinch between rolls at and 5. I

8 represents a bed roll journaled in frame 1 of the machine and 9 represents the work roll journaled in swinging arms The work roll 9 is provided with leather working projections or vanes, which may be of any desired form, and as herein shown consist of diverging helical vanes 10, between which are arranged the knobs 11, suitable for glazing the leather. (See Figs. 1, 2 and 3.)

The mechanism for swing arms 2 to open position. thereby separating rolls and 5, androlls 8 and 9, in order to introduce the sinner hide therebetween, is the same as that shown in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 1,131,756, granted me March 16, 1915, and need not here be further described; nor is it necessary to describe the detailed means for rotating the several rolls, which comprise the usual and well known operating devices in such machines, it being understood that the rolls seve "ally rotatein the directions of the arrows.

Referring now to the stretching and tension' belts show-n in Figs. 1, 2 and 4E, numeral 12 represents a bridge, U-shaped in cross section, extending across the m'achinefrom side to side and secured at its ends to the end uprights of the machine frame 1. The bridge 12 adjustable upon the frame 1 by means of the adjusting screws 13, 'which are threaded into lugs 14 on frame 1. Four pairs of sprocket wheels 15,. 16, 17 and 18, are journaled on the bridge 12, the sprocket wheels 15 and 16 carrying a pair of parallel sprocket chains 19, and the sprockets 17 and 18 carrying a similar pair of parallel sprocket chains 20. Each pair of parallel sprocket chains is connected by cross bars 21 secured to the chain at intervals, said cross concavcd contour of the bars 21 being to conform par roll 9. or other suitable material continuously around the belt made up of the pairof connected sprocket chains, with its edges folded over and secured to the projecting ends of the cross bars 21, as shown in Fig. 2. The two stretching belts thus formed, engage the surface of work roll 9 and are caused to travel in opposite directions moving outwardly from their adjacent ends, toward the outer sides of the machine, in the direction of the arrows as shown in Fig. 1. The mechanism for causing the belts thus to travel in opposite directions, consists of the shaft 23 rotated by a pulley 24: which is belted to a pulley on roll 8. Shaft 23 is provided with bevel gears 25 and 26 which ongage respectively bevel gears 27 and 28 on sprocketwheels 15 and 18, thereby rotating said sprocket wheels and driving said stretching belts.

In operation, the hide, skin or leather M is held between work roll 9 and said pair of stretching belts, between work rolls 9 and bed roll 8, and between pinch rolls 4 and 5, as best shown in Fig. 2. The material M is drawn upward through the machine by said pinch rolls and is acted upon by said work roll 9 and said oppositely traveling stretching belts, whereby the material is subjected not only to the effect of the projections on work roll 9 but also to the stretching and spreading effect of said oppositely traveling belts, and thereafter is further subjected to the action of work roll 9 as the material" passes between work roll 9 and bed roll 8. To support the stretching belt between the sprocket wheels and maintain the necessary pressure thereof against the work roll 9, I provide a track 40 on bridge 12, made with a lengthwise groove into which project the tongues 11 of the cross bars 21. The cross bars guided by said tongues slide along said track during the movement of the belts, and support the belt substantially throughout its whole extent between the sprocket wheels.

Referring now to the modification of the invention shown in Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive: The work roll 9 may be the same as that heretofore described or it may be provided with any desired form of working projections, but instead of being journaled on the swinging arms 2, is journaled on frame 1 of the machine. In this modification also the bed roll 8 is journalea on the swinging arms 2, and the feed roll 29, movably mounted in guide ways in the machine frame, cooperates with the bed roll 8 to feed and draw the material through the machine. Stretching jaws 30 and 31, constructed as described in my aforesaid Letters latent of the United States No. 1,131,756, granted me March 16, 1915, are mounted respectively on the frame 1 of the machine and the swinging arms 2, sothat they will open and close to admit of the insertion of the material therebetween. Below the stretching jaws 30 and 31 are two pairs of oppositely moving stretching and tension belts, one pair mounted on a bridge 32, U-shaped in cross section, which extends from side to side of the machine frame 1 and the other pair mounted on bridge 33, U- shaped in cross section, which extends from side to side of the machine and is supported by the swinging arms 2.

It will be seen that the stretching jaw 30 and the bridge 32 are both car ied by a single plate 31 which is vertically adjustable on the machine frame 1 by means of a slot and bolt connection as shown at 35 and 36 in Fig. 5. A spring 37 normally urges the plate 34 upward, and a rod 33, which may be actuated by a pedal (not shown) is provided to move the plate and the parts carried thereby downward, to vary the pressure between the side faces of the vanes on stretching jaws 30 and 31, and also between the side faces of the co-acting vanes on the stretching and tension belts carried by the bridges 32 and 33, and hereinafter described. Said stretching jaw 31 and bridge 33 are also carriedat each end by a single plate 39, which is rigidly and immovably fixed to swinging arm 2.; Each bridge 32 and 33 supports a pair of stretching belts, and each such belt consists of a pair of parallel sprocket chains 412, mounted on sprocket wheel 43, which are journaled on the bridge. The sprocket chains 12 of each pair are connected by cros. bars 1 1, the working faces of which are provided with projections on vanes 45, preferably inclined or diagonal to the path of travel of the belt. The vanes of the belts on bridge 32 project between the vanes of the belts carried by bridge 33, and vice versa.

The stretching and tension belts of each pair, thus constructed, are caused to travel in opposite directions, moving from the center of the machine outward as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6, while the opposed belts carried by bridge 32 and by bridge 33 re spectively, also are driven in opposite directions, so that their co-acting faces, with the interlocking vanes 15, move in the same direction. The belts are driven as thus described by shafts 46, connected through bevel gears with the sprocket wheels in the manner already described with respect to Figs. 1 and 2. Each cross bar 4 1 is provided with a tongue similar to that of cross bars 21 of Fig. 2, which tongues slide on tracks provided therefor on bridges 32 and 33, similar to the tracks already described with reference to Fig. 2, thereby supporting the belts throughout substantially their whole extent between the sprocket wheels, and maintaining the necessary pressure between the two sets of cooperating stretching belts. Motion is communicated from shaft 46 of one pair of belts to shaft 46 of the other pair of belts, through gears 47 and 48, which are held in mesh by link 49, gear 47 being always in mesh with gear 50 as both are journaled on swinging arm 2, and gear 48 being held c011- stantly in mesh with gear 51 by link 52. The two sets of belts will. therefore travel continuously in unison notwithstanding 1 their separation by the swinging of arms 2,

which insures the proper registration of the vanes 45 when the two sets of belts are closed together with the material between them, by swinging the arms 2 to closed position.

The skin traveling upward through the machine passes first between the two sets of stretching belts by which the skin is stretched, softened and worked laterally or outwardly from the center, thence between the strgtching jaws 30 and 81, which perform their stretching, softening and other functions, and thence between the work roll 9 and bed roll 8.

Referring now to the modification shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the two pinch rolls or feed rolls are shown at 4 and 5, carried respectively by the frame 1 and swinging arms 2 of the machine. Two c -acting vertically stretching, moving belts are provided, one mounted on the frame 1 and one mounted on the swinging arms 2. Each belt consists of a pair of parallel sprocket chains 58 mounted on sprocket wheels 54, the sprocket wheels 54 carried by the arms 2 being in fixed bearings and the sprocket wheels 54 carried by the frame 1 being mounted on a plate 55which is adjustable on frame 1 by a slot and bolt connection as shown at 56 and 57. A spring 37 similar to that in Fig. 5, normally urges the plate 55 upward, while a rod 38 similar to that shown in Fig. 5, may be provided to draw the plate 55 downward and with it the stretching-belt carried thereby.

Extending at intervals between each pair of sprocket chains 53 are cross bars 58-, the working faces of which are provided with inclined vanes 59, diverging from the center of the bar as shown in Fig. 11. The vanes 59 of one belt project between the vanes 59 of the other belt, and the two belts are 'driven in unison in opposite directions, whereby the opposed cooperating faces are moved in the same direction as'indicate'd by the arrows in Fig. 10. Said belts are driven in unison, notwithstanding their separation by the swinging of arms 2, in a manner similar to that already described, by means of intermediate gears 60 and 61. The skin is drawn upward through the machine by the pinch rolls 4 and 5 and passes between the downwardly moving opposed faces of the two belts, by which it is stretched, spread, softened and worked out by the interlocking- .vanes 59- of the opposed belts. Each belt is supported between-its sprocket wheel's by tracks 62 against which the sprocket chains bear, thereby holding the belts in cooperative relationship throughout the whole extent of their working surfaces between the sprocket wheels. If it is desired to increase the pressure between the co-acting vanes or blades 59, rod 38 may be pulled downwardby a pedal or other suitable means, thereby moving the belt carried by the plate 55 downward, varying the space between the .co-acting sides of said vanes, and increasing the pressure or tension exerted on the material by the vanes.

In Fig. 12 I have illustrated in combination with the machine of Fig. 10, with the vertically moving belts, a set of laterally moving stretching and tension belts 62 and (33, which may be of the same construction as the laterally moving stretching and tension belts more fully illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. These belts 62 and 63 stretch the material laterally and place it under tension, before it passes to the vertically acting belt in a manner similar to the action of the corresponding belts in Fig. 5, for acting on the material and placing it under tension before it passes to the vertically acting devices of Fig. 5.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character de scribed, a pair of stretching belts mounted end to end, and adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends, an opposed element or elements between which and said stretching belts the material passes, and means to support said belts between their ends against the pressure exerted by said opposed element or elements.

2. in a machine of the character described, a pair of stretching belts mounted end to end, and adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends, and an opposed element or elements be tween which and said stretching belts the material passes, said belts provided with projections adapted to engage and act upon said material.

In a machine of the character de scribed, a pair of stretching belts mounted end to end, adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends, and an opposed element or elements between which and said stretching belts the material passes, said belts provided with vanes inclined to the path of travel of said belts.

4. In a machine of the character described, a pair of stretching belts mounted end to end, adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends, and an opposed element or elements provided with working projections, said opposed element or elements cot per'ating with said stretch ing belts to act upon the material passing between them.

In a machine of the characterdescribed, a pair of stretching belts mounted end to end, adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends, each belt comprising a pair of parallel sprocket chains between which extend means for engaging and acting upon the material, sprocket wheels on which said chains are mounted, and means to support said chains between said sprocket wheels.

6. In a machine of the character described, a pair of stretching belts mounted end to end, adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends, each belt comprising a pair of parallel sprocket chains between which extend means for engaging and acting upon the material, sprocket wheels on which said chains are mounted, and tracks to support said chains between said sprockets.

7. In a machine of the character described, a pair of stretching belts mounted end to end, adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends, each belt comprising a pair of parallel sprocket chains, cross bars connecting said chains at intervals, means supported by said cross bars for engaging and acting upon the material, and sprocket wheels on which said chains are mounted.

8. In a machine of the character described, a pair of stretching belts mounted end to end, adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends, each belt comprising a pair of parallel sprocket chains, cross bars connecting said chains at intervals, means supported by said cross bars for engaging and acting upon the material, sprocket wheels on which said chains are mounted, and tracks on which said cross bars slide to support said belts between said sprocket Wheels.

9. In a machine of the character described, a pair of stretching belts mounted end to end adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends, and an opposed moving element or elements cooperating with said belts to act upon the material passing between said belts and said opposed moving element or elements.

10. In a machine of the character described, a pair of stretching belts mounted end to end, adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends, and an opposed moving element or elements having diverging inclined vanes, said opposed element or elements cooperating with said belts to stretch the material passing therebetween laterally in each direction.

11. In a machine of the character described, a work bed having working projections, and a pair of stretching belts pressed against the work bed mounted end to end. adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends to stretch the material passing between the work bed and the belts laterally while the same is being acted upon by the work bed.

12. In a machine of the character described, a work bed having diverging vanes and a pair of stretching belts pressed against the work bed mounted end to end, adapted to travel in opposite directions from their adjacent ends, the diverging vanes of said work bed and said belts cooperating to stretch the material passing therebetween laterally in each direction.

18. In a machine of the character de scribed, a stretching device comprising a yicldingly supported rear engaging element, a swinging frame, a front engaging element carried by said swinging frame, said front engaging element being composed of a pair of horizontally arranged endless belts movable in opposite directions, and a series of blades carried by said belts adapted to engage a hide when the frame is swung into engaging position, substantially as described.

14. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a hide backing member, a plurality of belts movable in opposite directions and carrying working edges which cooperate with the hide while supported by the backing member, a support for the said movable endless belts movable toward and from the said backing member, and feed rolls located above the endless belts and their backing member to draw the hide or skin up between the backing member and the endless belts when the latter are in their operative position.

15. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a backing member, endless belts provided with working edges cooperating with the backing member to spread the hide or skin laterally, pressure members located above the spreading members and co-acting to squeeze the hide or skin passing between them, and means for drawing the hides or skins through said pressure members after they have been passed between the spreading members.

16. A machine of the character described, comprising two co'acting stretching belts provided with vanes, the vanes of one belt intermeshing with the vanes of the other belt, and means to adjust said belts relatively one to the other in a plane parallel to the planes of travel of said belts t9 vary the side pressure exerted on the material between the coacting sides of said vanes.

17. A machine of the character described, comprising a stretching belt provided with vanes, an opposed element also provided with vanes projecting between the vanes of the belt, and means to adjust said belt and said opposed element relatively one to the other in a plane parallel to the plane of travel of said belt-to vary the side pressure exerted on the material between the coactingsides of said vanes. i j

18. A machine of the character described, comprising, in combination, mechanism to stretch the material in a vertical direction, and mechanism moving laterally outward in each direction from the middle for stretching the material laterally before it passes to the first named stretching mechanism.

19. A machine of the character described,

comprising, in combination, a pair of 0p- 1 posed vertically moving stretching belts,

and two pairs of opposed laterally moving stretching belts, adapted to stretch the material laterally before it passes to the Vertically moving belts.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts 15 Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. I 

